Published by Olumide Donald, Wednesday 6 August 2025
Once upon a time, in the animal kingdom of insects , the ants gathered in large numbers, bitter and angry at the cockroack for dominating the kitchen space.For years, the cockroach had strutted with arrogance, feeding fat on the crumbs and leftovers, often ignoring the cries of the ants.
When the opportunity came to remove the cockroach, the ants didn’t look for a better alternative. They didn’t care whether the solution was dangerous. They didn’t question the long-term effect. All that mattered was this: ” The cockroach must go.”
And so, in a landslide vote powered by hatred, they choose insecticide.
The insecticide did not discriminate. It did not target only the cockroach, it poisoned the air, destroyed the ecosystem and killed everything in its path, the cockroach, yes but also the ants, the termites, the bees, and even the housefly who didn’t participate in the vote.
This simple parable captures the desperation, blind rivalry, and emotional voting patterns that have come to characterize the Nigerian political culture.
In Nigerian politics, it is not uncommon for voters to cast ballots not in support of an idea, policy, or visionary candidate but out of sheer bitterness, revenge, or ethnic and religious sentiments. The cockroach could be a metaphor for a ruling party or political figure that has overstayed its welcome. The insecticide symbolizes an extreme or destructive alternative embraced out of anger, not wisdom.
And the ants? The desperate masses who often become pawns in the game of the elite.
HATRED AS A STRATEGY AND NOT A SOLUTION
Just like the ants, Nigerian political actors often build coalitions not around a shared national vision, but around common enemies. They use propaganda, ethnic profiling, and manipulated history to stir the public. Their strategy isn’t to build; it is to destroy the perceived opposition even if it means burning down the entire house.
Perhaps the most tragic character in this story is the housefly, the one who chose silence, neutrality, or apathy. In Nigeria, a huge number of eligible citizens especially the youth do not vote. Many stay away, citing distrust in the system, rigging, or sheer hopelessness. But in the end, they too inhale the poison.
Inflation, Insecurity, Unemployment,and rising cost of living. these afflictions do not discriminate between voters and non-voters. Whether you vote or not, you live with the consequences of leadership.
What Must Change?
.Vote with vision, not vengeance: We must stop voting to punish past governments. Instead, we must vote to build a future.
.Demand ideas, not just identities: Ethnicity, religion, or political ” loyalty” shouldn’t be the basis of choice. Let’s elevate competence over sentiments.
Silence is complicity: Like the housefly, silence in the face of chaos is not safety, it is a slow death.
Nigeria cannot afford to keep repeating the cycle of emotional voting, dangerous alliances, and voter apathy. The nation’s political rivalry has become so toxic that even the masses now cheer for poison, so long as it kills the ”enemy.” But in doing so, we all sufder together.
Let us break free from this parable. Let us vote not out of hatred, but out of hope.Not for destruction, but for direction.
The next election is not a war. It’s not a battle between insects. its a decision about survival.
Ayobo/IpajaTV.com 